Museum

Mertens Frontier Ranch Store and Museum

Zapata · Zapata County · THC Atlas #4200001170

Texas history, up close and curated.

About this site

Mertens Frontier Ranch Store and Museum is a museum in Zapata, Zapata County. It is one of 2 museums documented in Zapata County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 34 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 26.9072, -99.2726 near Zapata. The nearest cataloged historic site is Zapata County Museum of History (museum), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Colonization of the Lower Rio Grande Area, Mission Revilla a Visita, and Zapata County Courthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #4200001170. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

The Mertens Frontier Ranch Store and Museum in Zapata is a folk-art roadside attraction dating from the 1960s, best known for "Grandpa and Grandma Bucky," a pair of taxidermied deer dressed in human clothing. Part museum and part gift shop, it offers hand-painted and handcrafted home decor and Southwestern souvenirs, many made by David D. Mertens Sr.

Sources: roadsideamerica.com mertensfrontierranch.com

📍 26.9072, -99.2726 · Zapata, Zapata County

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Nearby in Zapata County

Museum

Zapata County Museum of History

Zapata

Historical Marker

Mission Revilla a Visita

Zapata · 1936

Historical Marker

Colonization of the Lower Rio Grande Area

Zapata · 1986

Courthouse

Zapata County Courthouse